perusasetelmaan

Perusasetelmaan is the illative form of the Finnish noun perusasetelma, which refers to the basic setup, baseline arrangement, or status quo of a narrative, scenario, or experiment. In narrative theory, perusasetelma denotes the initial world, characters and conditions from which a story unfolds. The perusasetelma establishes ordinary routines, relationships and stakes before disruption occurs. Analysts often distinguish the perusasetelma from the inciting incident and subsequent rising action, noting that a clear perusasetelma helps the audience understand the significance of later changes.

Etymology: perus- means "basic, foundational" and asetelma means "setup, arrangement." The illative suffix -maan/-mään marks direction toward the concept in discourse. The form perusasetelmaan is used when the discussion centers on moving to or referring to the basic setup, for example in sentences like “perusasetelmaan palataan” (we return to the basic setup).

Applications: In literature and film, perusasetelma describes the world-building, the status of the protagonist and their ordinary conflicts at the start. In game design, it defines starting conditions and initial player goals. In research contexts, it can denote baseline conditions prior to manipulation or intervention.

Relationship to other concepts: It is closely related to exposition and the status quo in classical narrative structure and contrasts with the inciting incident, plot twists, or climactic developments.

Example sentence: “Elokuva alkaa rauhallisessa kaupungissa, jossa päähenkilö elää tavallista arkea, ennen perusasetelman murtavaa tapahtumaa.”